Shadow of the Day
by x6bakablack9x
Summary: Songfic. Stephanie goes into labor and something goes wrong leading to her in a coma. A month later the doctor asks Ranger the most difficult question of his life. Do they pull the plug?


**Okay i lied, how could this happen to me should be the next update thing that i post. No garentees though cause i honestly havent started writing it yet. I have other ideas i want to finish up first. Like this one.**

**If you start reading this story do not stop reading in the middle. No im not discouraging you from reading it just has an unexpecting ending that i didnt even know i was capable of. So please enjoy!**

**Disclaimer - I sadly do not own anything. Damnit.**

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Shadow of the Day

Ranger sat in the hospital chair beside his Babe silently. It had been a month since she had last opened her eyes, seen the light of day. See, her and Ranger were finally a couple and accidently Stephanie got pregnant. Without an argument they decided to keep it. A month ago when she went into labor, something went wrong. The doctors didn't know why but she all of a sudden started bleeding internally and they couldn't find a way to stop it. They got the baby out of her which happened to be a girl before they began bringing her into the ICU and worked on stopping the bleeding.

When they finally got it to stop, her body shut down. She went into a deep coma that they said that she would awake from in a few hours, but she never did. Today one of the doctors came and told Ranger that with the way that her progress was staying neutral there wasn't a good chance for her to wake up. They gave Ranger the hardest question they could possibly have. Do they pull the plug or not?

_I close both locks below the window  
__I close both blinds and turn away_

Ranger slowly lifted himself off of the chair and walked to the other side of the room. He looked out at the window to the falling rain and tried to come to a conclusion. If he left Stephanie alive and attached to wires, there still was a chance she would wake up but, would she really want that? Would she want to be kept alive with only a slight chance of waking up again or would she want him to let her go?

He touched the window lightly before closing the blinds to the darkened sky. This decision wouldn't only effect his life but all the lives in Trenton, all of the people that she graced her presence with. All of the people whose lives had been changed just by her being in it, just like his.

_Sometimes solutions aren't so simple  
__Sometimes good byes the only way_

There little girl was now in the infirmary in perfect condition, as she had been since she was born. On occasion Ranger would make his way down just to look through the window and admire his little angel. Her skin was only a few shades darker then Steph's but still not as dark as his own. She had curly brown hair and bright blue eyes that sparkled every time they laid eyes on him as if she knew that he was her father.

He was always being told how beautiful there little girl was and how she was going to be a heart stopper when she was older. That always got his heart boiling, thinking of all the guys that would just look at her and would most likely treat her less then she deserved. She was definitely going to be daddy's little girl.

_And the sun will set for you  
__And the sun will set for you_

Ranger sat looking at Stephanie and thought about how his little girl was going to be so much like her when she got older. The only difference would be that she might not have a mother to defy, another girl who would always be around when something went wrong. If he kept Steph attached to tubes their daughter might find her weak as she grew up and wouldn't appreciate her because she didn't know anything about her. But if she was never there she could grow up to appreciate how her mother used to be by what other people told her of her.

A tear slid down his cheek as he finally came to his conclusion. He wouldn't want Stephanie to live of artificial life and he knew everyone else felt the same but just didn't want to admit it. He decided he was going to let her go.

_And the shadow of the day  
__Will embrace the world in gray  
__And the sun will set for you_

The room filled with family and friends as they awaited Stephanie's final hour. The room remained silent with the occasional sob that would escape. Throughout the day more cards and flowers appeared on the windowsill. The chair beside the bed would never be vacant for each person awaited there time to say goodbye or wish for her to wake up.

Ranger stood in the back corner of the room watching the scene play out in front of him. He had never seen any of his Merry Men so devastated, so torn up inside. In all the life or death missions that most of them had been sent on he had never seen any of them cry. Never seen them believing that there was no hope. He slowly exited the room and made his way to the infirmary to get his little girl. He wanted her there with him when the last dreadful hour came.

_In cards and flowers on your window  
__Your friends all plead for you to stay_

The doctor slowly made his way into the room unnoticed and leaned against the wall. This was always the hardest thing to do. Letting family know that there loved one had passed away or being the cause of there departure into the next world. He hadn't known Stephanie personally but he had read about her numerous of times in the paper and was fascinated by her determination. It shocked him that someone so strong and had been through so many incidents could die of such a natural thing as pregnancy.

He let out a sigh before straightening himself out and walking towards the center of the crowded room.This was it, Trenton's local hero was now down to her last breath. He cleared his throat to get the attention of the room before saying, "I'm sorry but it's time."

_Sometimes solutions aren't so simple  
__Sometimes good byes the only way_

The room held its breath while the doctor walked to the other side of the bed to the machines. Ranger occupied the chair next to the bed and held his Babe's hand, wanting to be close to her as she died. The baby stirred and let out a small cry before snuggling back into Ranger's chest and falling back to sleep. It was as if she new that something bad and life changing was going to happen. The machines were turned off one by one till only the machine showing her heartbeat was the left.

Eyes were glued on to the screen as her heart started to slow down, waiting for the moment when the bar would go flat. But it didn't.As the minutes went by the heartbeat got steadily stronger until it was at the normal rate. The doctor starred in bewilderment and half the room crooked an eyebrow.

_And the sun will set for you  
__And the sun will set for you_

Coughing suddenly filled the silent room and the crowds attention jumped to the form on the bed.Ranger's eyes started to water as Stephanie slowly started opening her eyes. The room gasped and around the bed was instantly filled with family members and friends. As her eyes fully opened they surveyed the room before starring into Ranger's.

"W-What happened?" She asked, her voice cackly from the lack of use.

"You went into a coma Babe, you haven't been with us for a month. I was starting to think that you weren't going to wake up."

"I'm sorry to have put you through this." Something clicked in her head before asking, "How's the baby?"

Ranger nodded at the sleeping form in his hands and instantly held it out to her for her to hold for the first time. Now it was Stephanie's turn to shed some tears. "She's beautiful."

"Just like her mother. I delayed the naming process, wanting you to decide. What should we name her?"

Stephanie went into a deep thought before saying, "Hope."

_And the shadow of the day  
__Will embrace the world in grey  
__And the sun will set for you_

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**Please Review. It would make me extremely happy. **


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